Breaking down changes to the 2023-24 WPIAL boys tennis alignment

By: Bill Hartlep
Monday, August 8, 2022 | 9:30 AM

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The WPIAL released new section alignments for the next two-year cycle in all sports, and changes will be implemented starting this fall.

This summer, the Tribune-Review will break down changes for each of the WPIAL sports.

Here’s a look at the upcoming WPIAL boys tennis season:

2022 WPIAL championships

Class 3A: Fox Chapel

Class 2A: Quaker Valley

Class 3A singles: Jake Patterson, South Fayette

Class 3A doubles: David Mnuskin/Sam Bitzer, Shady Side Academy

Class 2A singles: Nicolas Scheller, North Catholic

Class 2A doubles: Brody Golla/Alex Garvey, North Catholic

Notable changes

• Realignment for WPIAL boys tennis really is a tale of two classes for this cycle. Class 3A had very few changes, with Plum moving from Section 3 to Section 1 and Mars moving up from Class 2A to join Section 2-3A.

• Class 2A was at the other end of the spectrum with drastic changes, including moving to five sections of 35 teams instead of four sections for 34 teams the past two years.

Latrobe, Kiski Area, Chartiers Valley, Sewickley Academy and West Allegheny dropped down from Class 3A.

• Latrobe and Kiski Area will join the Westmoreland County-heavy Section 1 with Indiana and Valley from Section 3, as well as holdovers Greensburg Salem, Mt. Pleasant and Southmoreland.

• Ringgold, South Park, Thomas Jefferson and West Mifflin moved from Section 1 to 2 and will be joined by Chartiers Valley and Section 4 transfers McGuffey and Seton LaSalle.

• Section 3 stayed mostly intact, though Hampton joined from Section 4.

The group will feature A-K Valley rivals Burrell, Highlands, Knoch, St. Joseph and Springdale, as well as reigning section champion North Catholic.

• Former Section 2 rivals Beaver, Beaver Falls, Blackhawk, Central Valley, Ellwood City and Riverside moved to Section 4 with perennial power Sewickley Academy.

• The new Section 5 will comprise former Section 4 opponents Carlynton, Keystone Oaks, Montour, Quaker Valley and Winchester Thurston, as well as Ambridge from Section 2 and West Allegheny.

Out of WPIAL

• Three boys tennis teams will not play a WPIAL schedule for the next two years.

Greensburg Central Catholic, Neshannock and Washington decided not to compete in WPIAL tennis. All three were Class 2A programs.

Past champions

• Sewickley Academy, which won 15 straight titles from 2004-18, holds the WPIAL record for most championships with 23.

Other schools with five or more crowns include Mt. Lebanon (18), Upper St. Clair (16), Edgewood (9), Shady Side Academy (8), Fox Chapel (5) and Latrobe (5).

Fox Chapel won four straight from 2016-19 and won again last season.

Quaker Valley has won the past two titles in Class 2A.

Key dates

March 6: First practice date

March 11: First scrimmage date

March 13: First play date

March 15: First section date

March 28-29: Section singles

April 11-12: WPIAL singles

April 18-19: Section doubles

April 25-26: WPIAL doubles

May 12: WPIAL team championships

May 19-20: PIAA team championships

May 26-27: PIAA individual championships

2023-24 alignment

Class 3A

Section 1: Connellsville, Franklin Regional, Gateway, Hempfield, Norwin, Penn-Trafford, Plum

Section 2: Butler, Mars, Moon*, North Allegheny, North Hills, Pine-Richland, Seneca Valley

Section 3: Allderdice, Baldwin, Central Catholic, Fox Chapel, Shady Side Academy^, Shaler, Woodland Hills^

Section 4: Bethel Park, Canon-McMillan, Mt. Lebanon, Peters Township, South Fayette*, Trinity, Upper St. Clair

Class 2A

Section 1: Greensburg Salem, Indiana, Kiski Area, Latrobe, Mt. Pleasant, Southmoreland, Valley

Section 2: Chartiers Valley, McGuffey, Ringgold, Seton LaSalle, South Park, Thomas Jefferson, West Mifflin

Section 3: Burrell, Hampton, Highlands, Knoch, North Catholic, Springdale, St. Joseph

Section 4: Beaver, Beaver Falls, Blackhawk*, Central Valley, Ellwood City, Riverside, Sewickley Academy

Section 5: Ambridge, Carlynton*, Keystone Oaks, Montour, Quaker Valley, West Allegheny, Winchester Thurston

*Cooperative sponsorship

^Voluntarily playing up

Bill Hartlep is the TribLive sports editor. A Pittsburgh native and Point Park graduate, he joined the Trib in 2004, covering high school sports. He held various editing roles before assuming his current position in 2019. He can be reached at bhartlep@triblive.com.